=to begin the process of looking for a job(usually while still in school)

<The reason why I wanted to make this lesson>

Unlike many other countries, there are lots of complicated formalities in Japan to go through the procedure of job hunting.

We have received resumes from all over the world and had interviewed some of them in the past. I’ve been very surprised at the resumes and interviews we’ve had. For example, many people sent us very casual snapshots attached to their resumes — a snapshot of themselves that they took at Disney Land, smiling, making the peace sign, dressed all too casually in a t-shirt and jeans or even tank top, etc. Some of the pictures used were originally taken with their friends or sweethearts. They just cut out their face and used that section. Pictures like these are unheard of on Japanese resumes.

Another thing that struck me was that many of them asked about such things as salaries, holidays or vacations almost as soon as the interview started! That is a definite no-no in Japan! That’s one of the many taboos in the Japanese job hunting world.

In this lesson, we’ll examine the most common aspects of the job hunting process, including proper manners and useful language.

Although foreigners in Japan often get their jobs in different ways and use different routes, it is always considered a plus to be polite, and first impressions matter much more than you might think in Japan.

If you are thinking about trying to get a job, at least keep some of the things you’ve learned here in mind. And for those of you who do not plan on getting a job in Japan, we hope it will be a good cultural and language study!

Here we go!

<When and how to get a job in Japan>

A lot of companies hire young people who have just graduated from the school as permanent employees.

There are actually more chances to get a proper job while you are in school. So, many University students start

就活 = shuukatsu, job hunting activities in their junior year. More important to Japanese companies than experience is a young recruit’s youth, freshness and potential.

•新卒 = shinsotsu = recently graduated

⇔既卒 = kisotsu = already graduated

→新卒採用 = shinsotsu saiyou = ,hiring of new graduates

*採用 = saiyou = hiring

→今年は採用ゼロ = kotoshi wa saiyou zero = to have no plans to hire anybody this year

In this case, their experiences and abilities do matter, 経験/能力重視 ( = keiken/nouryoku juushi) , to value one’s experiences and abilities.

Now back to the job hunting by students. Each University has 就職課 ( = shuushokuka) , a section to support their students providing a guidance to get a job, employment bureau.

We have to decide more or less which direction we want to go in or what line of work we want while we are still students.

•メーカー=meeka = makers

•業界 = gyoukai = market, business world

•金融業 = kinyou = finance business, bank business

•製造業 = seizou gyou = manufacturing industry

•サービス業 = saabisugyou = service industry

•公務員 = koumuin = government servant

•マスコミ = masukomi = media

•商社 = shousha = commercial firm, trading company

Then, after we decide, we visit a company that is recruiting personnel. Many companies offer a,

会社説明会=kaisha setsumei kai, employment-explanation meetings

Students visit the companies they are interested in,

会社(or 企業）訪問 ( = kaisha(or kigyou) houmon)

to visit a company (firm, enterprise) where you are interested in working

and collect information about that company to narrow down their choices.

会社案内 ( = kaisha annai) =company brochures

or they visit their 先輩 ( = senpai ) seniors

OB、OG訪問 = OB, OG houmon

→ OB = old boys, OG = old girls

→訪問 ( = houmon) visiting

to visit the students who have graduated from the same school and work for the company you are interested in.

After you visit the company or your 先輩 ( = senpai) , “seniors“, do not to forget to send them, a “thank-you” note to thank them for their time.

御礼状 ( = oreijou) thank you letter

When you visit a company, you have to dress appropriately

リクルートファッション ( = rikuruuto fasshion) business suits for job hunting

→就活スーツ(colloquial) ( = shuukatsu suutsu)

Basically you should wear nice business suits. The color should be either, black, dark blue, or gray.

Some students change their hair color from their dyed 茶髪 ( = chapatsu) brown hair to 黒髪 ( = kurokami), black hair, just for the job interview. If you dye your hair blond like Honda or Nakata (well known soccer players) they may doubt your seriousness. :h:

After getting over the standard hurdles of job interviews and tests, a company may want to hire you. If so, they’ll give you,

内定 = naitei = informal job offer

→内定が決まる/内定をもらう

= naitei ga kimaru/naitei wo morau

= to get an informal job offer

(The translation is “informal” but it’s actually almost an official offer)

•就職が決まる

= shushoku ga kimaru

=to get a job officially

If you are lucky, you will get more than one or two offers from different companies. Not getting any 内定=naitei, informal job offer, is called

→内定ゼロ

= naitei zero

=“Zero” job offer→no job offer

Recently due to the recession, even if you think a job is in the bag, you shouldn’t count your proverbial chickens yet. Some companies may end up turning you down at the last minute! This is called,

内定取り消し

= naitei torikeshi

= cancellation of the job offer.

Since there are more chances to get a job while you are still a student, some students who get 内定ゼロ=naitei zero (no job offers) intentionally fail school and wait one more year in the hope their luck will improve the following year.

→就職留年

= shuushoku ryuunen

And those who graduate from the school without getting a job are called ,

→就職浪人

= shuushoku rounin,

= graduated into unemployment

If you’re not a student and are looking for a job or looking to change jobs, we say you are,

We have specific formats for resume. So you have to fill them out nicely by hand.

You can buy these resume forms at stationary stores.

Since you have to fill them out by hand, you have to write carefully so as to not make mistakes. I use blue ink but use black ink, and avoid using white-out!

(Again this information is to tell you how the typical Japanese job hunting procedure works so this is just for your information. The application procedure may differ from company to company. Language schools or companies who are actively looking to hire foreigners don’t expect you to do follow the Japanese way. They will most likely attempt to adopt the Western way.)

Here is my example resume. The information in my sample resume below is usually something considered super confidential, but for you, my loyal readers, I am willing to make sacrifices and share it with you today. :D

(Don’t copy the blueletters! They only work for me! )

Picture:

As I mentioned above, your picture tells them what kind of person you are. If you use a casual picture, they will think you are not a serious applicant for the job. If you are a man, wear a suit and necktie. If you are woman, wear suit or plain blouse and skirt. If you are a dog, make sure to visit the dog salon first and get nice and groomed. :D And no tank tops! We usually don’t use pictures of ourselves smiling for resume pics. Avoid using instant pictures. The picture should be of the upper part of your body and head against a solid background. Write your name on the back before you seal it on the resume.

Write the name of the school you went to, including the year + the month you (entered and) graduated from. Some people write their elementary school name as well. I omitted the year and month I entered school but some suggested that you should write them from high school and up to your latest school.

△△大学卒業 = △△daigaku sotsugyou = Graduated from △△ University

職歴 = shokureki = employment history

The name of the company and the section where you worked including the year and the month you joined or left. Also briefly describe what kind of work you were responsible for.

•入社 = nyuusha = to join the company

•退社 = taisha= to leave the company

•一身上の都合で退社 = isshin jou no tsugou de taisha= to quit a job for personal reasons

→very convenient phrase used to keep the reason you left an company vague like I actually left the company because I had a big fight with a cat.

If you leave a company too soon (like me!) or you have been changing job too much, they may think you are not responsible person.

Having an impressive or interesting skill or hobby like mine, is a good chance to attract an interviewer’s attention.

志望の動機 = shibou no douki = The reason I apply for this job.

In this section, you can write what you like about the company or job you are applying for and express how suitable you think you are for that job — referring to any experiences and/or abilities that you acquired in your previous job. Be sure to express how motivated you are!

本人希望記入欄(=honnin kibou kinyuu ran)

In this section you can write your desires or job expectations. Technically you could write your desired salary, work location, and whether you want to be transferred or not, etc. But unless there are special circumstances (for example, you have to take care of you sick family member, etc.), I wouldn’t recommend you write anything too demanding.

If you decided not to write anything here (although you have tons of wishes ;-) ), you can write something like like I did.

貴社規定に従います。= kisha kitei ni shitagaimasu = I will conform to this company’s regulations.

貴社=kisha, is another honorific way to refer the company as 御社 (= onsha).

(Note: By the way, when speaking with clients you should refer to your own company as 当社 ( = tousha) or 弊社 ( = heisha) , our company, to be humble. You should not say 御社 ( = onsha), or 貴社 ( = kisha) .)

:rrrr:This section is not that hard to fill out. They’ll want to know how much time it will take for you to get to the office and also they can calculate how much money they have to pay for your transportation. They’ll also want to know if you have any dependent family members or not.

Note:

There used to be a section where you would write about 家族構成 ( = kazoku kousei), family information, with their names, ages, occupations, etc. of all of your family members. But I haven’t seen that kind of form for quite a while.

Traditionally many companies prefer to hire people who have been introduced by someone who was powerful or good connections with executive officers in that company or . So having a good コネ (= kone), connection used to be a strength. Also many people have gotten their jobs through nepotism. I would say there are still lots of companies who hire people who have these kinds of connections.

When you send or hand in your resume, you should attach a cover letter.

Some company requires you to enclose,

エントリーシート( = entorii shiito), the specific cover letter for each company to apply for the job.

You have to fill out,

志望動機 ( = shibou douki) statement of purpose

自己PR ( = jiko biiaaru) a self introduction designed to sell you to the company

(PR=public relations, but this is “Japanese English”)

<How to send or hand out the resume.>

When you buy the forms of 履歴書 ( = rirekisho) , resume, they usually come with a plain white envelope that says

履歴書在中 ( = rirekicho zaichuu) enclosed resume

in a frame. (If it is not already written on the envelope, you can just write it in by hand.)

Write the company name and 人事部御中 ( = jinjibu onchuu ) to personnel department

If you know the name of 人事採用担当者 ( = jinji saiyou tantousha) the recruitment officer, write their name with 様 ( = sama) ,Mr./Mrs.. When you write their name, do not write 御中 after the name of the department above.

Note: 御中 = onchu.

It is a written honorific expression for the company (or department). It means “in /inside of (the company/department)“

When we write the address of a company and we mail it to certain company or company section (not a specific person) we write 御中(=onchuu) right after the name of the company or section. We don’t use it with a person’s name.

個人面接の受け方 ( = kojin mensetsu no uketakata), how to have an individual job interview:

I consulted various manuals on interviews in Japan. This is pretty common procedure, but, of course, it varies depending on the company and even expert opinions vary. But I think I’ve gathered enough information for you to be able to get a general idea of how the process goes.

2) When they say, 「どうぞ」(=douzo), Please come in!, you open the door a little and look at the interviewer’s eyes and say 「失礼します。or 失礼致します。」( = Shitsurei shimasu./Shitsurei itashimasu.) “Please allow me to come in.” and come in the room. Don’t show your back to the interviewer when you close the door.

10) Right before you leave the room, bow to the interviewer one last time.

Oh, my GOD….Does that sound like too much?

Good luck! !Vsain!

<How to appeal yourself>

第一印象 ( = daiichi inshou) , the first impression is very important in any interview. Some say they can tell if they want to hire you or not in the first three seconds when they see you.

Remember

*to show how much you want to work for the company and show how motivated you are.

*to answer questions or ask questions clearly and briskly.

*to look into 面接官 ( = mensetsukan) , interviewer‘s eyes.

(Many Japanese people tend to avoid direct eye contact because traditionally it is considered to be aggressive to stare at someone’s eyes.)

*Japanese companies value team work. So show how much you can cooperative and like to work as a team player by bringing up your experiences and extracurricular activity.

*to show how responsible you are.

*to sell yourself. You have a short window of time to sell yourself, but at the same time try not to sound like you’re bragging. If they think you are overly confident, they may think you are cocky.

*Be sure to use proper 敬語 ( = keigo) , honorific expressions. When you refer to the company, you always use 御社 ( =onsha) , your company

<Taboos!>

As I mentioned above, avoid asking about salary,vacation or overtime work right away. It is considered to be very rude and will give them the impression that you are JUST thinking about the benefits. Usually you can see the basic salary in the classified ad.

（基本給 ( = kihonkyuu) , basic salary, 賞与 ( =shouyo) , bonus)

You may be surprised to hear but there are lots of people who decided to work without knowing exactly how much is the salary until their first paycheck. If you really want to know, do not ask them not in the beginning. Wait for the best time. Or wait until when they ask you if you have any questions at the end of the interview.

<Typical questions to be asked>

Q :志望理由は何ですか？

= Shibou riyuu wa nan desu ka?

= Why did you apply for this job?

Q : 当社を選んだ理由についてお話し下さい。

= Tousha wo eranda riyuu ni tsuite ohanashi kudasai.

= Please tell us why you chose our company.

Q :当社のことをどこで知りましたか？

= Tousha no koto wo doko de shirimashita ka?

= How did you hear about our company?

Q :学生時代に力を注いだことは何ですか？

= Gakusei jidai ni chikara wo sosoida koto nan desu wa?

= What did you put most effort into at school?

Q :卒論(卒業論文）はどういうことを書きましたか？

= Sotsuron(sotsugyou ronbun) wa douiu koto wo kakimashitaka?

= What is the theme of your graduation thesis?

Q :自己PR／自己紹介して下さい。

= Jiko piiaaru/jikoshoukai shite kudasai.

= Please introduce yourself. (try to sell yourself.)

Q :趣味はなんですか？

= Shumi wa nan desu ka?

= What do you like to do?

Q :当社でやってみたいことはなんですか？

= Tousha de yatte mita koto wa nan desu ka?

= What would like to do at our company?

Q :他にどんな企業を廻っていますか？

= Hoka ni donna kigyou wo mawatte imasu ka?

= What kind of companies are you visiting besides us?

Q :当社に入ったらどんな仕事を希望しますか？

= Tousha ni haittara donna shigoto wo kibou shimasu ka?

= What kind of job would you want if you join us?

Q :あなたの短所と長所を教えて下さい。

= Anata no tansho to chousho wo oshiete kudasai.

= What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Q :(歴史上)一番尊敬する人は誰ですか?

= (Rekishijou) Ichibansonkei suru hito wa dare desu ka?

= Who do you respect the most (in history)?

Q :最近のニュースで気になることはありますか？

= Saikin no nyuusu de kini naru koto wa arimasu ka?

= Is there any news which has caught your attention lately?

Q :部活、サークル活動は何かやっていましたか?

= Bukatsu saakuru katsudou wa nai ka yatte imashita ka?

= Have you been involved in any extracurricular activities or group activities?

84 Comments

Hello maggie sensei. I’m looking for a graveyard shift right now, and i have to call this certain company. I am so nervous on how to start a phone conversation asking for an opening of the job since i am not really that good in nihongo. I hope you could give me an advice?

Maggie sensei,
Konnichiwa🙌
I’m so happy finally I found the place to learn japanese.
But I’m a little bit regret, why now I found your site😓.
I want to ask you, I saw a part time recruitment at a cafe. I want to apply that job. They ask to call them first. How to call and tell them that I want to have an interview, I really want to work there. I’m worry about my japanese and afraid they get not good impression from my Japanese😟.
Thank you so much for helping.

Hello Maggie-sensei!! I just stumbled upon your post and it’s extremely useful! I appreciate how you outline everything so carefully Thank you so much! By the way, I’m looking into applying for Animation industry in Japan and looking for further advises if you have any? Some people said a rirekisho is not needed, and some said during the interview they tend to be less formal and it’s more of showing around the company. So I’m getting a bit confused. I’m planning to go Japan soon to apply and attend the interviews in person so it would be a great help if I could get more information Thank you!

Hello 愛紗! Welcome to our site!
You are talking about working for Japanese company in Japan as a full time employee, right? If so,I can’t imagine Japanese companies would hire someone without rirekisho or any formal interviews. They have to sponsor your working visa. In order to get a working visa, you have to have proper academic background or career for the specific job.
The good news is the Japanese government has just changed the law and make it easier for foreign students who study in Japanese university or senmon gakkou (vocational school) to work in Japan. Check this article.

this help me a lot sensei! i work as interperter here in the philippines,
thank you for all the hardship!
sensei can you provide also the vocabulary for benefits and commonly used
phrases in employment. ex. salary , benefits, wages, taxes. thanks a lot in advance

Maggie先生お久しぶりですね。I want to ask you about how to greet 社長 when we meet for the first time since the last interview.Although I started working since last week,we haven’t met yet because he’s gone back to Japan.I also want to know how to answer if asked about the “How’s working here?” or “How am I doing in this job?”And also give some advice you think suitable for this situation,too.I’m sorry to bother you with such urgent questions frequently.You’re the only one I can turn to for such important questions.Thank you in advance for your constant help! :-)

You caught me the right before my vacation.
It depends on what you want to tell the company president. If you want to say thank you for hiring me, then
採用（さいよう）ありがとうございました。and if he asks you how you are doing, you just tell him what you think but may something positive.

Or まだいろいろ慣れないことがありますが一生懸命お役に立てるように努力いたします。
= Mada iroiro narenai koto ga arimasu ga isshoukenmei oyaku ni tateru you ni doryoku itashimasu.
= I haven’t get used to many things but I will do my best to serve this company.

Hello Maggie Sensei😄😊
I don’t know if it’s too late or not but I’m soooo happpy to found out your page and really exciting to learn each of your lesson.
Thank you for your hardworking, this page so incredible 😆
話した時間違っていたばかりで(特に尊敬語の使った時），なんか勉強のやる気が減らしちゃったけどMaggie先生のページ見つけたら解りやすくて，面白いから勉強のやる気が戻りますよ~
これからもよろしくお願いします😘

I have been studying Japanese for more than 5 years now (and I’m still afraid to write in Japanese because of the mistake I would make …), and I just beeing introduced to your website by a friend very recently. I found it soooo helpful ! Thank you for your hard work !

I just had a quick question about interviews in Japan.

Would it be considered unapropriate or too cocky to ask “what would be the reason you would not take me for this job ? (もし、御社に入社させていただけませんの理由はその理由を教えていただけませんか？)”
I usually ask this question (in western job interview) in order to being able to clarify some weak points they wouldn’t get as much as I wanted to.

I just found your website! Thank you so much for all the lessons! (*^▽^*)

Maggie-sensei, I was wondering if you could give me tips on looking for internships in Japan? At the moment I’m in my second year of artschool (I study 2d animation) and next year I will have to do an internship. I would absolutely love to do an internship in Japan in the animation industry if possible.

My japanese languange skills are at beginner level. Would you still recommend me to use the Japanese format for my resume? And if so, would it be better to submit it in japanese or in english? I’m afraid that if I fill it in in Japanese it will create the impression that my Japanese is better than it actually is.

Hi Kani,
Welcome to our site!
It depends on the company where you want to work. Some companies requires Japanese resume but for example if you work for a language school, English resume is just enough. But if you want to work for an animation industry, I’d say you should prepare Japanese resume.
The best thing is to ask them the format of your resume.

Thank you so much for this lesson!
I was wondering, would it be an advantage to ask questions for the interviewers??
I wanted to ask “what is your turnover rate?” but perhaps that is too rude for Japan?

Hi Kay,
What is your turnover rate? in Japanese is 御社の離職率はどのぐらいでしょうか？(=Onsha no rishokuritsu wa donogurai deshou ka?)
But I wouldn’t ask that question. They will think you are already thinking about quitting at the interview.

Wow this is a really helpful guide to job hunting! I’m still a student so I’ve never hunted for a job before.
I was just wondering, Maggie-sensei, if you know anything about medical jobs (doctors) for foreigners in Japan? I am currently a 4th year medical student in Ireland and it’s my dream to work in Japan. I’ve been studying Japanese for 3 years now too.
Thank you:)

Hi Lava,
I am glad to hear you find this lesson helpful.
OK, what I know is in order to be a doctor in Japan, you have to pass 国家試験(National exam) in Japanese and get a license and it is very difficult to be a doctor in Japan.
However Japanese government has been trying to change the law in past few years and they said we should accept more foreign doctors in future.
I found this article. It might give you an idea.

It is illegal but I guess many companies still have the age limit. And even if they can’t tell the applicants that they would hire younger people, they would find other excuses not to hire them. That’s a shame…

Hi Maggie. I know this is two years old but this is very relevant to me as I will go to to the Boston Forum and perhaps the Tokyo Forum. I have been applying for jobs to various agencies in New York City (where I live at the moment) and I have used about 80% of the vocabulary on this page. It is great to read thoroughly and polish my way of writing/talking to employers and recruiters. I do know it is considered rude to ask about wages and etc, but I have encountered many instances that if I do not ask, I would be hired to do a certain job without knowing the very details. In such cases I ask… It’s rather complicated. As for the rirekisho, many large scale Japanese companies have been lenient on what should be on a rirekisho. In some instances 志望動機 is removed or replaced with 大学で学んだこと・専攻内容詳細 (assuming you’re 新卒). I have a phone interview tomorrow so this page will come in handy!!

Dear Maggi Very nice explanations. think this ill help many peoples.
But I d like ask you to write about
profission that foreigners work in Japan like
supermarket.
factory jobs like LCD kensa
Maguro Industry
Recycles jobs
Bus drivers ..
how to work as sagawa or post Ofice tayukubin ?
how to find Farms Jobs in Japan?
How to get jobs at Airport ?
Constructions many profissions
and how to get the above jobs in Japan.
how to write a simples cover letter ?
wishing get the jobs ?
thanks
have a pleasent day

Hi, Andre
Thank you for visiting this site. As for your request, I would like to help people who are interested in working in Japan but it is difficult for me to write all about those different professions you listed and how to apply for those jobs because I need to provide all the information which I don’t have. Hope you understand this site is to help people learn Japanese and I am not able to make a lesson “How to get a job”
However I will work on a lesson about some of the procedure at a ward office or immigration office sometime.

You still need to submit a resume to apply for a part time job. If you are a student or under 20 years old, your parents needs to sign the resume to approve. The procedure will be more simple (Ex. no paper test and group interview), and they don’t require much qualification or experiences as full time job.
But still they would hire a person with better attitude, nice manner and personality, etc.

It would be definitely plus to know some Japanese unless you work for a foreign company or language school who don’t expect you to speak Japanese.

Hi! Great lesson–also useful for teachers of Japanese people who are looking for jobs in the US, so we can understand their perspectives.

I think one reason Americans (in particular) attach such unsuitable photos is that in the US, it’s totally against the rules to request photos for jobs (other than acting, etc.). It’s so far out of our experience that I guess people just don’t stop to think. I would expect common sense would tell them to use a professional photo, but…I guess not! Things like including your sex (male/female), age, and marital status are illegal, too, so it can lead to some real confusion for both Japanese applicants in the US and American applicants in Japan. It’s good to educate yourself before you apply!

@Clarissa
Thank you for your comment. Very interesting! Asking your sex, age or marital status should be illegal. In that sense, the format of Japanese resume is still way behind.
There are selling many books about how to have a proper job interview. Japanese people depend on this kind of manual too much. It is a part of our culture “We have to follow the way other people do.”
I have also checked your site. Very nice!
It is so nice to get to communicate with a real teacher. You teach Japanese students there. How are they adopting American culture?

Your 履歴書 advice is fantastic! I filled out a 履歴書 form once a couple of years ago but didn’t understand how to do it properly and it must have looked very strange. I later learnt the correct way of doing it at night school. I’m sure your examples and explanation are going to be really really helpful to people applying for jobs with Japanese companies.
The interview tips are really interesting too! Thank you.